Never rented a car before...Why price change depending on p/u location?

[tripplanner2]

So I guess based on the dates of our trip, Alamo is coming in with best price but I am looking to cut the cost a little bit. We are arriving on 8/16 and staying until 8/30. I don't mind taking ME to the resort but would love to have the car to get back to the airport instead of needing to checkin 3 hours early on the way home. We arrive in the morning and are leaving at night. Based on what I have priced out with renting from MCO and dropping at MCO we need 2 weeks and 1 additional day. I thought that if I cut back on days we would save money. I tried booking through the DTD resorts, TTC, and Dolphin, but all are more expensive by like $100 and I was cutting back by 3 days. Am I missing something because there is a discount for a full week rental or is it just because we are renting from a different location? We really need the car for getting around with free dining so I figured it really was not manditory to get it on those early days.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

It's about inventory and taxes (if you're looking at pre-tax rates, be careful, post tax can be significantly higher). The lower the inventory, typically, the higher the price. Additionally, remember when buying a house, it's all about Location, Location, Location, the same applies for most other purchases.

As for the number of days, typically the more days you rent, the lower per day the price is. However, do NOT attempt to book a longer rental then you plan to keep and expect to pay the lower rate if you bring it back early.

 

[JennSaint]

I don't think renting a car just for the purpose of driving yourself back to the airport is really worth the expense. You'll still have to plan the appropriate driving time, returning the car and being at the airport 2 hrs before flight.

If you are worried about getting to different dining ressies at the resorts you can take a cab a couple of times. Will still be cheaper than renting a car.

 

[dancin Disney style]

On the topic of returning to the airport. You will only be saving yourself approx 30 minutes by not using DME. The drive time is about 30 minutes from WDW to MCO and you will need time to return a car then walk to the terminal and go the the appropriate level. MCO is rather large and very busy so you really should plan on being there about 2 hours before your flight. The security lines can often be long and slow.